Churches open their doors to serve Christmas Day dinners

Dec. 22, 2012

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James 'Elvis' Kessler often shows up at the Christmas Dinner for Those who are Alone to serenade diners and servers. / News-Leader file photo

Christmas Day dinners

The following locations are hosting Christmas Day meals that are open to the community. • The 31st annual Christmas Dinner for Those Alone will be at First and Calvary Presbyterian Church. Meals will be served at 11:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 1 p.m. in the Atrium and Fellowship Hall, 820 E. Cherry St. Call 885-9620 to make a reservation. • St. Agnes Cathedral will serve Christmas dinner from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the St. Agnes school dining room, 533 S. Jefferson Ave. No reservation is required. • Victory Mission will serve both Christmas brunch and dinner on Christmas Day at Cook’s Kettle Restaurant, 1715 N. Boonville Ave. Brunch, prepared by Victory Trade School students, is 9-11 a.m. There will be a service, followed by dinner prepared by Second Baptist Church, 5-7 p.m. Anyone wishing to volunteer or provide donations can call 417-831-6387 or visit www.victorymission.com. “The holidays can be a tough time for people who are homeless, poor and alone, and we have a wonderful opportunity to share the love and joy of the season with them through our holiday activities,” Victory Mission Executive Director the Rev. Jim Harriger said in a press release. “In the presence of love, miracles happen, and we invite the community to join us in creating miracles for our neediest neighbors.” • The Salvation Army’s Community Christmas Dinner starts 11:30 a.m. at Harbor House, 636 N. Boonville Ave. No reservations are required. For information call the Harbor House at 417-831-3371. Last year, the Salvation Army served more than 250 people during its Community Christmas Meal. Donations of ham and pre-made desserts for this year’s dinner can be dropped off at Harbor House. Take donations to the east, or back entrance of the building. “We encourage anyone in need to join us on this day and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas,” Maj. Norman Grainger, Ozark Area coordinator, said in a press release.

Last year, nearly 725 people were served a holiday meal at First and Calvary Presbyterian Church. / Submitted photo

First and Calvary Presbyterian Church hopes to host at least 700 people this year during its Christmas dinner for Those who are Alone. / Submitted photo

Pictured are a few pieces from Rita Gemmill's snowman collection. Just weeks before she died, she donated them to be given away at St. Agnes' Christmas Day dinner. / Jackie Rehwald/News-Leader

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A few years ago, a single mom and her four children came to the First and Calvary Presbyterian Church on Christmas Day for dinner. The children were absolutely giddy with excitement, church member James Clary remembers.

“I said to them, ‘I bet you guys are so excited for Christmas.’ And a little boy looked up at me and said, ‘We are just so excited to eat. We haven’t had anything in two days,’ ” recalled Clary. “Being able to share food with a little boy who didn’t have any food because they didn’t have any money — it’s a big deal.”

Clary, corporate chef for Price Cutter, has volunteered his skills to the Christmas Dinner For Those Alone for the past decade. He, along with hundreds of volunteers at local churches and nonprofit organizations, will be slicing, dicing, cooking and decorating in the days leading up to Christmas in order to feed others a holiday meal.

In addition to the Christmas meal at First and Calvary Presbyterian Church, meals will be served at St. Agnes Cathedral, Victory Mission and the Salvation Army. (For times and addresses, see the information box.)

Meals are free and open to the public, particularly aimed at those who may not be sharing a meal with a family at home.

“This is an open invitation to anybody in the community, particularly those who would otherwise be alone on Christmas,” the Rev. Greg Ellis, of First and Calvary, said. “It could also be somebody who is on hard times and might not be able to provide a Christmas meal for their family.”

First and Calvary serves meals at 11:30 a.m. and 12:15 and 1 p.m. and asks diners to call 885-9620 to make a reservation. Volunteers say they will prepare about 220 pounds of turkey, 200 pounds of potatoes, 120 pounds of pork sirloin, 1,500 dinner rolls and 12 gallons of gravy. They expect to feed at least 700 people.

“And our congregation makes the desserts,” Ellis said. “We love the idea of expanding our church family out to the community and saying, ‘Y’all come.’ It’s like making room for people in the inn, like when Joseph and Mary were looking for a place to stay.”

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Volunteer Bob Kick agreed.

“It adds a lot of meaning to Christmas for me. It gives me an opportunity to give back to the church and the community. And it’s a lot of fun. It’s a very cheerful time,” Kick said. “This meal is for those people who would not otherwise have a place to go. So it really turns a day that might be very lonely for someone into something that is quite joyful, which is what (Christmas) should be.”

St. Agnes Cathedral

At St. Agnes Cathedral, volunteers are busy preparing for their Christmas dinner as well.

Volunteer Kathryn Wilkerson said people begin cooking on Sunday night with 16 turkeys. In addition to the birds, the church will serve stuffing, cheesy hash browns, Parmesan-Asiago potatoes, green bean casserole and rolls. Members of the parish will bring in various side dishes, salads and desserts.

“I don’t want to deal with all those leftovers, and I feel everyone needs some leftover turkey,” Wilkerson said with a laugh. “So once everyone is served, we put it open for seconds, and after that, we put out the to-go containers, and everyone can take some home.”

Volunteers at St. Agnes expect to serve from 150 to 200 people from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Christmas Day.

“We have a very wide spectrum of people. This is not just for people who can’t afford dinner. It’s for anyone who doesn’t want to be alone on Christmas Day. And if you do want to be alone, we’ll give you a to-go container and feed you anyway,” Wilkerson said.

There will be door prizes and candy for the children, she added. And, as always, whoever volunteers to clean up the table is allowed to take home that table’s centerpiece. This year, though, many of those decorations have special meaning to the parishioners because they were donated by a much-loved and dedicated member of the parish, Rita Gemmill, just weeks before dying of cancer.

“She knew she was dying, and she wanted to donate something,” Wilkerson said. “I told her, ‘You know these are going to be given to the people, don’t you?’ And she did.”

Judy Rippe, finance officer for St. Agnes, knew of Gemmill’s final donation for the Christmas dinner.

“She was a woman of faith, and she knew it was her time,” Rippe said. “She also helped every year with Trivia Night. She was so concerned she would die before Trivia Night. She brought in prizes, something she had always been in charge of. She didn’t want someone else to get stuck with it. She was a person who lived until she died. She knew her time was up, and she had a lot of things to take care of.”